Practical nuclear fusion power
The reaction that powers the stars, in a box on Earth — clean, limitless energy, if we can tame it.
What makes this fascinating
The power of the stars, on Earth — Fusing hydrogen releases enormous clean energy, with no long-lived radioactive waste.
Net gain, finally — In 2022 a lab fusion shot released more energy than the laser delivered to its fuel — a historic first.
From spark to power plant — Turning that fleeting gain into continuous, economical electricity is the unsolved engineering.
Frequently asked questions
- What is nuclear fusion power?
- Generating energy by fusing light atomic nuclei, the reaction that powers the Sun — promising abundant, clean power with no long-lived radioactive waste.
- Why don't we have fusion power yet?
- Sustaining a plasma hot and dense enough to yield net energy, continuously and economically, is extraordinarily hard. Experiments have briefly passed scientific break-even, but a practical power plant does not yet exist.
- When will fusion power be available?
- Uncertain. Projects like ITER and several private ventures target the coming decades, but reliable grid-scale fusion electricity is still years away at best.
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